Psalm 90:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.

NIV: Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.

NASB: Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, And the years we have seen evil.

CSB: Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us, for as many years as we have seen adversity.

NLT: Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good.

KJV: Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

NKJV: Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, The years in which we have seen evil.

On behalf of a people who were often judged for their sin (Numbers 14:33–35), Moses asks God to grant gladness for as long as they have experienced sorrow. Travel through the wilderness was difficult. The region was hot and dry, and at times the people grew hungry and thirsty. Furthermore, violent tribes attacked them. However, God sustained them, and Moses recognized Him as the source of true joy.

Joy is a mark of a genuine follower of Christ. Galatians 5:22 lists joy among the qualities described as the fruit of the Spirit. The apostle Paul suffered numerous trials (2 Corinthians 11:22–29). When he wrote to the Philippians he was a prisoner (Philippians 1:14), but his letter reveals his abundant joy, and he urged his readers to rejoice (Philippians 4:4). Jesus told His followers that they would encounter tribulation in the world, but He also told them to take heart because He had overcome the world (John 16:33). Jesus promised His followers fullness of joy if they would keep His commandments (John 15:10–11).

The apostle James' words in James 1:2 prove it is possible to have joy in the midst of trials. He wrote: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds."

Psalm 90:11–17 calls on the Lord to teach His people to number their days and gain wisdom. Moses, the author, prays for mercy and joy. Also, he asks the Lord to prosper His servants' work. Other Scriptures emphasize God's compassion, the joy He gives, and the blessing He pours out on those who serve Him (Psalm 100:5; Proverbs 22:4). The books of Ezra and Nehemiah demonstrate the truth that God grants these gifts to those who honor Him, even if those gifts aren't always in the form of an easy, prosperous life.

Psalm 90, likely the oldest psalm, opens with Moses addressing God as eternal and Israel's dwelling place, but quickly shifts to an acknowledgement of man's brief life on earth. Our iniquity is the reason God directs His wrath at us. In most cases, a person can expect to live somewhere around 70 or 80 years, barring disease or misfortune. Short or long, life is full of toil and trouble. In view of life's brevity, Moses asks the Lord to fill His people with wisdom. He also asks the Lord to reveal His work, demonstrate His power, grant His favor, and make Israel's labor successful.

Psalm 90, written by Moses, is most likely the oldest psalm, presuming it was written during Israel's wandering in the desert. This begins the fourth division of Psalms (90—106) and likely was written after Israel refused to heed the Lord's command to enter and occupy Canaan (Numbers 13—14). The background for Psalm 90 is Israel's wanderings for forty years in the desert and the perishing of a generation as a result of its disobedience. The psalm focuses on God's eternal nature and man's finite nature. It stresses God's anger against sin and appeals to His compassion to restore and bless His people.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.